The Girl from Simon's Bay

A seashell and a sealed letter form a tenuous connection
to a forbidden wartime romance
1937. Simon’s Town is a vibrant and diverse community in a picturesque part of the Union of South Africa. At the heart of the town is the Royal Navy port, and Louise Ahrendts, daughter of a shipbuilder, nurtures the idea that through hard work she could step beyond a destiny of domestic service. She dreams of becoming a nurse and she has the tenacity to make this dream a reality. When the Second World War breaks out and the port becomes a hub of activity, Louise’s path crosses with that of Lieutenant David Horrocks. Despite the gulf in their backgrounds and the expectations facing them from family on both sides, Louise and David are determined to be together.
But as the end of the war approaches and a new troubled moment of history dawns, will they find their way back to each other?

A moving account of a love affair, battling against the odds thrown up by the upheavals – social, geographic and political – of the Second World War A second, heartfelt novel from the author of The Housemaid’s Daughter (UK – Headline, US – St Martin’s Press) Has themes in common with as Amma Asante’s recent A United Kingdom